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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Vigneault expects Brassard to be in Game 1; Miller excited for chance to be a part of NHL playoffs

As coach Alain Vigneault was honest about in the week leading up to the playoffs, injury information on Rangers will not be as readily available during the postseason.

So there was not much of discussion regarding center Derick Brassard, who left about midway through the Rangers’ practice this morning, walking toward the team’s training room holding his lower back.

“No,” Vigneault said when asked if there was any update on Brassard. But Vigneault did say he expected Brassard to be available for Thursday’s Game 1 against the Flyers.

“I would say yes,” Vigneault said.

As for Chris Kreider (left hand), the top-line left wing again wore a big, black brace on his left hand but skated on his own after the team practiced, wearing hockey gloves on both hands.

Kreider, recovering from surgery, has been listed as out indefinitely by the team and Vigneault did not provide an updated timetable when asked whether he could expect Kreider at any point in the first round.

“At this time, I would say as I’ve said all along, it’s indefinite and until it changes, that’s what it is for now,” Vigneault said.
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Based on today’s lines during practice, it seems Vigneault has decided to stick with rookie Jesper Fast as the lineup replacement for Kreider, if not necessarily in the same spot Kreider would skate.

Vigneault said his fourth-line players - Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore, Derek Dorsett and Dan Carcillo - have been specifically good in that role but it hasn’t worked as well when Vigneault has tried any one of those guys in a top nine role.

So if Brassard is unable to play, it would seem most likely that J.T. Miller, who can play either wing or center - he’s used as a center at Hartford (AHL) - would enter the lineup.

“We’ve got some other parts and that’s one of the reasons we called up J.T.,” Vigneault said. “We feel if one part of any line goes down he has the potential and the skill set to come in for an amount of time and be able to take that spot. We’ve got some good balance on those three lines. Our fourth line is obviously a different makeup but a very important part of our success, a very important part of us being able to roll four lines and come Thursday we’ll be able to put that on the ice and see how it all fits.”

When Miller was re-assigned yet again to Hartford somewhere between Vancouver and Colorado on the Rangers’ four-game Western swing, Vigneault made comments regarding Miller’s re-assignment in which he questioned Miller’s “commitment” and said Miller needed to “figure it out” lest he spend his career just as a good minor-league player.

Miller, 21, said that was fair.

“Sure,” Miller said. “Once it happens, you can’t worry about the past, just worry about my task at hand and we had games that weekend. Try to focus and play my role

“Every time I get an opportunity, I feel like I have to prove myself,” Miller added. “I’ve just got to play well. At the end of the day, I’ve just got to play and be good at both ends of the ice and stay mistake-free. It’s hard this time of the year.”

Most of Miller’s on-ice issues have been defensive ones. Offensively, though he has three goals and three assists in 30 NHL games this season, he’s more instinctive and can use his bigger body to his benefit. Defensively, he can get turned around.

“Yeah, I feel comfortable, that’s one off the things, mistake-wise, you try and stay away from, especially this time of the year,” Miller said. “When I was down, I try to work on defensive things. Obviously, offensive comes a little bit easier for me. I try to stay steady there.”

Vigneault, meanwhile, said his comments about Miller were not necessarily meant to be “pointed” comments.

“I would say those comments might have been interpreted by you as pointed,” Vigneault said. ” I would say to you that 95 percent of young players have to figure it out. They get hell from coaches, from their minor league coaches and from their NHL coaches and until they figure it out, they’re either going to figure it out and become good NHL players or they’re going to be good minor league players. That comment I made of him I could have made of any young player.

“It’s a process for young players and they have to understand exactly what the process is and what they commitment that it takes to become a professional hockey player,” Vigneault added. “The odd Crosby here or there that figures it out when they’re 15 or 16, others figure it out when they’re 19 or 20, some other guys figure it out when they’re 27 or 28. He’s a young guy going through the process. He’s learning every day. If we need him I’m confident he’ll be able to come in and fill a good role for us. He’s done that on a number of occasions for us this year.”

Posted by Andrew Gross on 04/15 at 07:59 PM

frI am impressed how AV has softened on Miller and gave him some nice props today speaking to the media.. I think the last thing you want is to add additional pressure to a young guy by re-iterating some of what was said a couple weeks back ... The Brassard thing is a bit concerning… Just have to wait it out.I think they’ll be back on the ice tomorrow so we’ll get some new info then. If need be (Back spasms?) he could rest tomorrow and then try it on Thursday AM or in the pre-game skate… one other possibility is that Brass was having an issue so that spurred the recall of JT Miller…
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Looks like Pete may have called it re/ Quickie going in first in Kreider’s spot… we’ll see. I back whatever AV says he wants. I imagine that if he and the other coaches are more trusting of Fast’s defense, it’ll get him (Fast) the game jersey on Thursday; Then AV has to decide if it’s Carcillo or Dorsett on that 4th line. My gut says it’ll be Dorsett.. Carcillo may fan the Flyer fire if he gets in there. Although he’s done really very well at avoiding stupid penalties via wild on-ice behavior since his arrival here.

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.